im at a major crossroads here - BUSINESS OR ART?

[rex-craft7]

ok im a freshman at university of washington at the moment. im considering transferring to an art college. i know that whatever i end up doing, i want it to be in art. art is primary, no question. now its this business part that keeps nagging at me -

i want to do something larger - and i keep looking at business as the answer to this. i do have some entrepreneurial fantasies, and i see studying business as a kind of starting off point to that. so i could stay at where i am now, a school not famous for either business or art, and get a degree in both. or, i could go to an art school that would give me a better education in that one subject. but that just makes me wonder if my chances for accomplishing something bigger will go to the gutter (i dont mean zero, but you know... less chance) - i dont know.

if i stay and double degree, am i spreading myself too thin (do i hurt myself professionally if things dont work out)?

within this freshman year, its been "yes! double degree! thats the answer!" ----> "im in art. everything i do will be IN art. im transferring to an art school" --=-> "no wait, double degree is the answer!"

im back to the "double degree is the answer?" phase again. ironically, i was feeling pretty damn certain at each phase about the sentiment at that moment in time. currently, im about to go to the east coast to go look at art schools, and spend the summer doing college apps for transferring. yet i still have these doubts.

[J Wilson]

Well, I don't think anyone can answer this for you.

I will say, if you pursue business, don't bother double majoring in art. Art school itself can be replaced if you work hard. The art education you'd get at a non art school is nearly worthless in 99 out of 100 regular colleges. You'd get a tiny taste of a handful of techniques and idea (if you are lucky), and get no depth in any of it. The only exception to that I'd make is if they have a class on life drawing (drawing from a live model) take it, or else find a local artist's group that does it.

Your art education can be discovered in books and websites such as these, if you want it bad enough to seek it out. Business... well I have no idea. Have you given any thought to what form of art+business you would want to pursue? That would probably be fairly good indication of which would benefit you more.

[rex-craft7]

I think the core of this dilemma is due to wanting to make some larger difference in a field I enjoy. Feel accomplishment at the end of life. I'm assuming everyone has some form of this feeling. Which is art, however, I wonder how much of a difference I can make if I go the obvious path of getting an art degree, and getting an industry job.

When I'm saying "business degree", everything I'm fantasizing about is founding, co-founding my own company. Building up something larger. Using what I earn from this business (if it becomes decently successful), to help in research, building a museum, helping less developed places - philanthrophy; fullfillment. What the business is going be about? Again, I'm not sure at this time - publication company? design firm? illustration business? A business based off some new innovative idea I have yet to think of? I don't know. But I'm deathly afraid of ending up in an 8-5 job working up my 401k plan for the next 40 years. Thats the main and basically only reason I ever thought about getting a business degree. I realize the scenario I described sounds too "picturesque", but however slim the chances of it happening may be, I wonder if I also study business, will I boost that chance of making my life mean something larger?

[Meloncov]

Ringling's Buisness of Art and Design major might be worth a look.

[Zazerzs]

No offence intended, you don't choose to be an artist, if art isn't something you are willing to sacrifice for than go with business as your main focus and treat art as a hobby.

[Maxine Schacker]

Is the "business degree" worthwhile? Does your school have a good department and are the courses demanding and well taught? If so, why not get the degree in business and then find a first rate school (which doesn't need to be degree granting) and study art (you are not specific about which "art")? If you want both, and you want to do both well, you'll just have to spend more time studying.

[rex-craft7]

hmm... i believe my school has a fairly decent business school - im seeing it come up in several business school rankings, which should be a good sign; though im afraid that if i start studying business in this way, ill be too far behind other art students and professionally would be hindering myself into what i want to go into the most -

this is ridiculous - since the time ive made this thread, ive already went back and forth a few times... either i toss a coin, or i have to go do some major soul searching - road tripping alone, getting into a traumatic accident which will most likely trigger some deep existential answers (hopefully to this question), or some other messed up idea im forgetting; sigh....



and zazerzs, ive thought about this, and i honestly dont believe ive been given the choice of whether to be in art or not - no ones told me to start drawing back in kindergarten lol, but i havnt stopped since then; would that really be called being given a choice? sometimes i think "damn... if only i had been BORN to love anesthesiology, i-banking, and the stock market" or something, but at the same time i guess i should be thankful -

[Elwell]

Business.

[Hett15]

I did both.

I got my business degree from Florida State University and then went on to Ringling for Animation. I wouldn't recommend doing both at the same time though depending on how intense your programs are. They could overlap some, but you would want to space them out so that your jr and senior years of art school are spent doing art.

Get your business degree first. It will never hurt you to have a business degree. Start taking the basic art courses like Drawing 1 & 2, a couple of Art History classes. Get your liberal arts classes finished while doing your business degree. Then when you start taking art classes you will be doing almost nothing but art. You want to be totally focused on it if you are serious about making it a career.

At this point in your life you should get a really good education doing what you want to do. Education can come in many forms such as schools, dvds, internet forums, personal mentoring etc.

50 years from now would you rather love what you are doing and not have any regrets about what could have been or will you be doing what you love because you took the time early in your life to receive the best possible education you could.

You are the only one that can decide that. Good Luck

[Zazerzs]

and zazerzs, I've thought about this, and i honestly don't believe I've been given the choice of whether to be in art or not - no ones told me to start drawing back in kindergarten lol, but i haven't stopped since then; would that really be called being given a choice? sometimes i think "damn... if only i had been BORN to love anesthesiology, i-banking, and the stock market" or something, but at the same time i guess i should be thankful -

Heya Rex, sorry if i came of as a cock, just trying to be a straight shooter, alot of people dance around subjects trying not to hurt feelings and wind up not being to helpful.

I'll expand on my comment :). If someone gave me a choice art or business it wouldn't even be close. Art wins everytime,it something I do at work , at home, on my free time, standing in line ect. I've never really wanted anything else than to draw/create for a living and don't want to imagine myself doing anything else. It's people like me and people way,way better than me that will be your peers/competition and we arnt spending anytime going for business ;)

but i'll say it really depends on how far you want to take. Whatever you choose your are going to spend alot of time doing it. Goodluck in making your decision. :)